Tuesday, January 16, 2007

By the time I get to Austin Texas

Perhaps the Public Enemy reference is too vague. Point is folks, forces outside the realm of human control decided that (most of) Austin was in fact going to take MLK day off this year, like it or not. Day after it too, and for some of us, maybe even part of the next day. This ice, sleet and snow shit may be standard fare in other parts of the country, but around here, we know when we're out of our element and when it's best to just stay home. Anyhow, kudos to the cosmic forces of good and right! Which is to say, thanks for the extra long weekend!

I might be alone in this, but I've always thought it odd that we have these national holidays that are set aside presumably for the purpose of reflection upon the figure or event for which the holiday was originally created, and yet most of the workforce would have to take a day off of work should they wish to observe it. I know I sound like a lazy jackass who just wants another day off of work, but to that I respond 1) so the fuck what? and 2) doesn't it seem a bit sad that we don't use days like this for a bit of deeper reflection into these pieces of our history? Not that you should only think about MLK once a year or anything, but hey, when's the last time most of us sat back and grokked on, say, Columbus, and what that shit means in the grand story of humanity? Just a thought.

Having said all that, I now must confess that I didn't really think about MLK very much the last few days. Yeah, I know, big hypocrite. We basically stayed in our pajamas as much as possible. My hair has been in a state of bedhead-ness for well over 50% of the time since Saturday. Hot chocolate, beer, various snacks, all these things were consumed. Movies were watched. But lest you think we were entirely unproductive, we unpacked some previously neglected boxes, did some painting, and I ripped a bunch of CD's to the 'puter for my new toy. Baby Henry practiced his assisted walking. Cabin fever set in today, so we bundled up and went for a family stroll. It was weird to see the normally busy area near our condo so empty, and so many places closed. Like I said, most of us here know when we're licked. About the only things open from what we saw were Whataburger and the Alamo Drafthouse, both of which seemed unnecessary.